OT: Mexico US Diary (Article) Response, Since I went to the Game... (Pic Link Added)

OT: Mexico US Diary (Article) Response, Since I went to the Game... (Pic Link Added)

I decided to go to the game last week, and found myself at Estadio with about 400 other US Fans. Here are some of my experiences and how it went down. I will say that the Simmons piece on it is really good, he is a pussy for sitting in the boxes, but still good.

- I have no idea if I would have survived if we had won.

- 400 US Fans, 105,000+ Mexican Fans, with my binoculars I figure add an extra 3-5K sitting in the aisles, so 99.5% for the home team. An impossible ratio to achieve in America.

- We had about a 2:1 ratio of US FANS to Riot Gear Clad Federalis, so safety was decent. We also had a 10ft metal fence on both sides of our section.

- They served us Dominos Pizza and Mexican Beer at standard US stadium prices, or about 3 times the price the Mexican fans paid.

- We had our own bathrooms and were basically encouraged not to leave our section for fear of death.

- The home fans drowned out our National Anthem, to the point where I could barely hear myself yell it. Though it was quite a high to sign it, and later sing parts of America the Beautiful after the Davies goal.

- Donovan's mug on the jumbotron enraged the home fans to a fever pitch.

- THE DAVIES GOAL was one of the most insane things I have ever seen. 110K people shut up at the same time and where speechless while we went crazy. The amount of debris and urine/beer being thrown at us was moderate at this point out of shock.

- THE FIRST MEXICO GOAL, we were covered in liquids from every direction, it was so loud I thought I was at a rock concert + someone was setting off fireworks.

- THE SECOND MEXICO GOAL and BOTH US/MEXICO PSEUDO fights lead to us being soaked again. My friend took a bottle to the side of his head. I braced for the worst at each of these moments.

- One US fan caught a full cup of beer without spilling - IMPRESSIVE.

- Every US free kick, goal kick, corner kick, saw the entire crowd wind up like a football kickoff and yell Punta

- No women or children should be at the game. In fact you should only attend if you could at least hold your own if you were seperated from the protected section.

- After the game we were seperated from the Mexican fans and escorted out. Most of them jeered us, and they lined the balconies 5-7 people deep to try to spit on us. The fans surrounded us for about 30min screaming and cursing, throwing ice - and giving us the finger.

- After we returned to the Sheraton, the embassy next door had extra fencing up and US Soldiers holding guns. Our hotel was protected by security personnel and riot police.

- At about 7pm or so, 5K Mexicans attacked the Sheraton throwing bottles and debris, at least one riot cop was put in an ambulance. They threw rocks and hit cops with tree branches. Several Rodney King beatings were given in return by the police. (Our hotel room had a perfect view, we also have some nice video)

- Then the fans went back to the El Ángel de la Independencia where they blew their whistles for several more hours and chanted.

- It was the only thing on any TV channel, no other news happened. They were desperate for this victory and their pride was at stake.

All of this happened on a Wednesday. It was primal and it was pretty embarassing at times. It was directed at the US, not politically, but basically the HAVEs vs. the HAVE-NOTs. It was intense the entire time, almost like you were going to get into a fight at any moment. Without the security presence, there would have been an international incident.

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That sounds amazing. Kinda makes OSU-Michigan look like child's play. The only remotely similar experience I've had is the Yanks-Red Sox playoff game, where like every section had 1 or 2 all out fist fights break out and a bunch of shit thrown around.

Wow...I WILL be there in 4 years. I have to experience that...I was in Columbus for the home fixture and that was pretty fun too, but I am very excited to attend this fixture in 2013, that's for sure. Also, I'm going to the World Cup next year (with or without tix)...is anyone else on here going?

And I'm sure you already knew this, but for those that didn't: Donovan is Public Enemy Numero Uno in Mexico.

Imagine an opposing player "relieving himself" on the turf at Michigan Stadium (like Landon did at Jalisco)....okay, now multiply that anger by 1,000 and you will just barely begin to understand the level of hatred the Mexican fans have for him.

I find it hilarious that Landon Donovan, of all people, is so hated by an entire nation of fans. Landycakes!

I'm sure the Mexico fans loved it that he was burned on both goals, even if his "turnover" that led to the first goal was a blatant shirt grab and tug that not only didn't receive a yellow, it wasn't even whistled a foul.

I am a grad and so is the friend I went with, we arrived straight from the airport via private car (to avoid kidnappings that r common) so I wore a blue Michigan shirt to avoid a pregame beating. Most US fans came via the protected buses via US Soccer. And about three other grads in the section at various points identified themselves to me. So we were disproportionally represented.

I didn't see any OSU fans, but they may have had hats covering their horns.

I am a grad and so is the friend I went with, we arrived straight from the airport via private car (to avoid kidnappings that r common) so I wore a blue Michigan shirt to avoid a pregame beating. Most US fans came via the protected buses via US Soccer. And about three other grads in the section at various points identified themselves to me. So we were disproportionally represented.

I didn't see any OSU fans, but they may have had hats covering their horns.

Say what you want about the political correctness of the guy in this photo, dressed in a sombrero and mustache (and whatever you call that thing he's wearing), but I, for one applaud the man's balls. That- THAT- takes a pair of Les Miles-sized onions. 1,000 drinks to him for his audacity alone.

How hard was it to get tickets for the game? Do you have to be a superstar charter member of Sam's Army, or is it intimidating enough that basically anyone can get tickets if they're brave/crazy enough to go?

Do you think it's more or less safe to do what you did, or to run with the bulls in Pamplona? (15 deaths in the last 100 years from running with the bulls. Considering everything that could have gone wrong if the US had won that game, I think it's debatable.)

We got them via US Soccer, which I think ran out. There are some tickets that you can also get through their preferred package provider Ole Ole. However, we also bought tickets for the regular area since we figured our US Tix were far from the field.

We thought maybe we could sit there for awhile, but we quickly changed our mind. However, any person wearing US gear or not wearing Mexico gear, just needs to get near this area and you can probably get in. Since the US area was not at capacity and General Admission.

I was across town in DF last week, and while there was definite rowdiness, I walked around (I am clearly American) without any incidents.

I'm sure it would have been different near the stadium, and I wasn't about to try to start anything, but I loved seeing bars PACKED with people watching the game with so much passion in the middle of a weekday afternoon and talking with groups of people huddled around rabbit-ear tvs propped up on flipped milk crates.

I'd love to get to Azteca to see what it was like - had an early flight out the next morning (actually sat by ESPN's Bob Ley on the plane) and had NO CHANCE of getting to sleep given the partying / seemingly city-wide techno beat going on outside all night.